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Henderson cuts down on distractions
Thursday, February 21, 2008
After weeks of relative isolation focused solely on training, UFC 82 headliner Dan Henderson is back in the limelight.
Henderson (22-6 MMA, 2-1 UFC) fights UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva (20-4, 5-0) in the main event of UFC 82. The 10-fight event takes place Saturday, March 1, at Nationwide Arena in Columbus.
Extras
Henderson, who dropped down a weight class after a September loss to UFC light heavyweight champ Quinton Jackson, has been training in the high altitude of Big Bear, Calif.
"Getting away from everyday life — that's the main reason for coming here," Henderson said during Thursday's UFC 82 media call. "I can live stress-free."
As the sport of mixed martial arts continues to grow, so too do the responsibilities, interview requests and promotional obligations of the fighters. Many of them now flee to remote training centers for pre-fight preparations.
"Other than being stuck in a house with 10 or 12 other guys for three weeks, it's all good," Henderson said.
OSU's Coleman honored
Mark Coleman, a former Ohio State national wrestling champion and the first-ever UFC heavyweight title-holder, will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame during next weekend's UFC 82 festivities.
The 43-year-old Columbus native won a national collegiate championship in 1998, placed seventh at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona and then began a legendary career in MMA.
Fighting up to three times per night, Coleman won tournaments at UFC 10 and UFC 11 before staking claim to the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 12. He posted a career record of 15-8, including a 6-3 mark in the UFC.
Coleman joins former inductees Randy Couture, Royce Gracie, Dan Severn and Ken Shamrock.
Tickets available
Although UFC officials expect a sell-out, tickets for UFC 82 are available. All $50-$100 tickets are sold out, but $150-$400 seats were available as of Thursday afternoon.
Fans wanting a free sneak peak can head to Nationwide Arena for official fighter weigh-ins on Friday, Feb. 29. The doors open at 3 p.m., and the first fighter hits the scales at 4. Get there early. Seating fills up very quickly.
Online pay-per-view
The UFC announced that it has struck a deal with Yahoo! Sports to make all future pay-per-view events available online worldwide. The fee is $44.95 (the same as cable/satellite views), and buyers get unlimited archived viewing for 24 hours.
UFC 82 is the first event available as part of the initiative.
Dann Stupp is editor-in-chief of MMAjunkie.com, a content-partner site of Yahoo! Sports. Check out www.mmajunkie.com for the latest UFC 82 news.
